Steve McClaren will step up his chase for Emile Heskey - despite claims from Merseyside that Liverpool are reluctant to release the England striker.

The Reds have so far failed to line up a potential replacement for the 26-year-old front runner.

McClaren has had his sights pinned on Heskey for several weeks and he remains the manager's No.1 target.

The Boro boss said: "I know Emile very, very well and he's a player I've always admired and enjoyed working with for England.

"I think he's a very, very good player and we are speaking with Liverpool."

It appears that the clubs have moved close to agreeing a deal, though Liverpool may delay selling if they cannot replace Heskey.

Liverpool's moves to try to sign Auxerre's striker Djibril Cisse during the transfer window appear to have stalled.

However, Liverpool's problem is that if they don't sell now, Boro may have found a replacement by the end of this month.

McClaren remains hopeful, and has declared his intentions to concentrate on Heskey by saying: "When we're looking in the January window and we need to score goals, I think there are two types of strikers you can look at and try to buy.

"There's the 20-goal-a-season man and they're very, very difficult to find and if anybody's got them, they hold on to them.

"The other type of striker is someone who can lead the line, who doesn't just score goals, but also creates space and creates goals for other people, and I think Emile Heskey falls into that category.

"Everybody has seen at Liverpool how he's helped Michael Owen. I've seen it with England, so that's what I admire in him."

Boro have also been linked with moves for Leeds star Mark Viduka.

Asked if he was about to make an offer for Viduka, McClaren replied: "No, we're not. Mark Viduka is a player I've always admired, but no, there's certainly been no inquiry or anything like that."

McClaren admitted that he was also trying to tie up a permanent deal for full-back Danny Mills, but insisted he was not in the race to bring Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt to the Riverside Stadium.

"Our priority, as we've said all along from the beginning of the window, is to bring in another striker," he said.

"Nicky Butt is a player everybody knows I admire, and if it was at all possible, I would love Nicky Butt to be here.

"But we've got other priorities and financially, we need to look in those areas."